Why qualifications are pivotal to HSC recruitment and retention strategies

As we wrote not long ago, the Government recently published a white paper entitled ‘People at the Heart of Care: which has committed £500 million of funding to help address some of the ongoing issues faced in the Health & Social Care (HSC) sector. A proportion of this money will be allocated to Learning & Development – which is brilliant news for organisations that are struggling with recruitment and retention. In our previous blog, we touched upon how career pathways should be a key part of your recruitment and retention strategy.

What is a career pathway?

A career pathway maps out how an employee or group of employees can progress from entry or lower level positions to more senior roles. The pathway should be clearly laid out, with short and long term benchmarks that should be achieved before promotion, often within a predetermined time frame.

Why identify a career pathway for employees?

Employees who have a clearly defined career pathway have greater job satisfaction and improved morale, while for employers the benefits include:

• Retain your best staff

• Give employees a sense of purpose

• Attract the best people

• Cumulatively increase the ability, experience, and diversity of your workforce

• Create an employee-centric culture

• Make your organisation more attractive to new recruits

This has been demonstrated by our long-term client, FitzRoy who recently provided us with an insight into why offering a clear career pathway, underpinned by access to accredited qualifications has real benefits for the individual, the employer and most importantly the service users.

Recruitment and Retention

Whilst salary will always be an important factor, employers who ignore career development  are missing out on important factors that will help attract new starters or help retain existing staff. Providing individuals with a career pathway that shows that they will not simply languish in their jobs, is frequently listed as a key consideration for all employees. With our ‘digital first’ learning platform EdgeWorks™ Care Academy, you will be able to show how you can support your employees’ growth and professional development within your organisation, including fully- funded training and qualifications. Additionally, those managing staff training will find they save hours of planning and scheduling time – and they will be able to see at a click where everyone is within their training pathway.

Contact us if you’d like to discuss how we can help you to create achievable career paths for your employees.